Introduction

Have you seen the “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance” error in WordPress? You can rest assured that it is entirely normal and more common than you think! Most WordPress users who keep up with consistent updates of their WordPress Themes and WordPress Plugins have likely encountered the “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute” message at least once. However, if you’re seeing it for the first time, it can be quite confusing, so HostArmada is here to clarify further!

This error usually appears while updating WordPress. When your website updates plugins, themes, or WordPress core files to the next version, it is put into what is known as “maintenance mode”.

Let’s talk a bit more about that, shall we?

WordPress Maintenance Mode

The maintenance mode page, is by all accounts, technically not an error page. It is a notification page informing the person who views it that the website is undergoing an update. WordPress downloads the necessary update files to your server during the update process, extracts them, and then completes the installation. WordPress also puts your site on maintenance mode and displays the “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.” notice during this whole process.

There are two types of maintenance modes:

Automatic updates trigger the first type. The process is usually quick, simple, and seamless. It may take anywhere from a couple of seconds to a few minutes. WordPress will usually notify you when it is enabling and disabling maintenance mode during the time that it is updating everything automatically in the background.

The second type occurs when the maintenance mode gets turned on manually. A web developer or WordPress designer usually will do this because they don’t want the site’s visitors to be bothered by the updates. You can accomplish this by installing a WordPress maintenance mode plugin or adding a code snippet to your functions.php file to force it.

We list them here for future reference. However, our article will only be covering the first type!

How does maintenance mode occur: When and what to do to fix it?

WordPress creates a new file called .maintenance in your site’s root directory during the automatic maintenance process we mentioned earlier. The purpose of the Maintenance Mode page is to prevent anything on the site from appearing broken while updates and patches are in progress. Assuming the update worked successfully, usually, the script will complete, and WordPress will remove the .maintenance file. Then the message will disappear, and your site visitors will be able to see your live content again. Though there are cases in which issues will arise that will prevent that from happening!

Here are some common causes for a problem with the maintenance mode:

• An interruption or timeout of an update script.
• A low memory issue.
• The maintenance file thinks there are some updates that it still needs to finish.
• You’re trying to update too many things at once (and too quickly).
• You’re using a maintenance mode plugin.
• You closed out the browser tab before the updates were complete.

Suppose you still see the “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance check back in a minute” WordPress message even after your updates are complete. In that case, you can assume something happened to interrupt the process. More specifically, the most likely issue is that, for whatever reason, WordPress did not erase the .maintenance file.

If HostArmada is hosting your website, the solution to resolve this is relatively simple. You will need to remove the .maintenance file.

You can do that from your cPanel, and if you are having issues with accessing your cPanel, you can read through this HostArmada cPanel tutorial to get more information on how to do that.

Before you get started, it is essential to mention that you shouldn’t attempt this unless you’re familiar with the process and already have a backup of your site.

Please follow these steps to resolve the maintenance mode:

Step 1. Access your cPanel and open the File Manager under the Files section.

Step 2. Within the File Manager, locate your website’s directory to the left. Then look for the .maintenance file. If this is for your primary website, the directory should be public_html. If you follow the standard model of setting up your secondary websites, any other website should be directly under public_html within its specific folder.

Step 3. Then you have to right-click on the file, then select Delete.

Return to your WordPress page in a new browser tab. The “unavailable” message should now be gone.

Step 4. (Optional/Situational) If you’re unable to find the .maintenance file in your site’s root directory, the next step is to look for the wp-activate.php file.

Once you locate it, open the file. Then look for the WP_INSTALLING parameter.

Change the value from “true” to “false” so it looks like this:

define( 'WP_INSTALLING', false );

When that’s done, you can save your file. Then refresh your site to see if anything changes.

*Note: On Linux operating systems, files starting with a dot are automatically hidden files. To display the hidden files (also called “dot” files), click the Settings button in the upper right corner of the File Manager. From the pop-up, you will see, select “Show Hidden Files” and click Save

Conclusion and Tips

Before we wrap this up, let’s provide you with some info that could be of use!

Here are some tips you can use to prevent this error message from reappearing in the future:

• Don’t close out your browser while updates are still running. If you exit your browser before all updates have finished installing, it can cause your server to timeout and, in turn, fail to complete the process and update the .maintenance file.
• Avoid making too many updates at the same time. The best practice is to update your themes, plugins, and core files one at a time and as they become available. That can help minimize the chances of your WordPress site getting stuck in maintenance mode. While bulk updates are convenient, they can lead to plugin conflicts and other issues.
• Use a staging site to test any updates you want to make. Compatibility issues can sometimes cause a snag that will interfere with the updating process. Therefore, it’s essential to verify any new themes or plugins you’re using are compatible with your WordPress version and each other. Rather than trying them out directly on your live site, use a staging site first.
  
  

There, you have it! It should be simple enough to resolve the issue that you are experiencing with the WordPress maintenance mode. However, be advised that we are always here to help you, so don’t be afraid to reach back to us at any time if you encounter issues with it or have more questions. That is precisely the reason why we are 24/7 at your disposal!